I had mixed feeling about this book. I love the authors writing style and connected to start with. But I think for me more the main characters partner Joe was so horrible it just wasn’t that much of a pleasure to read about him… or is that me?!
Having said that still enjoy her books and would definitely read her again.

I really enjoyed Roisin's journey from her breakup/betrayal of her long-time boyfriend Joe, complicated relationship with her mother, her friendship turned romance and a few unexpected plot twists.

A satisfying rom com that left my heart happy and smiling. The best written romance book. I laughed and felt so many good feelings while reading It. The only thing that could make it better would be to be reading it sat on a beach.

3.5 ⭐️

I feel like this book is almost two books - the first half being quite slow and a bit off and the second half having more action, more depth and more warmth.

I'm a big Mhairi fan but for me this was my least favourite of her books. It felt like it took so long to get going that it was over just as I felt I was finally getting into it. I also felt that there actually wasn't as much discussion and exploration of friendships as I expected from the description but I enjoyed the romance and family drama all the same.

With thanks to HarperCollins & Netgalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book! A searching novel with themes of fidelity, honesty and friendship. The story follows Roisin and her group of friends who have been friends since working together in a bookshop. Their lives have started to go in different directions and how that has affected them. Really cleverly written and I enjoyed it greatly

Definitely not the best I've read by Mhairi McFarlane. I was a bit disappointed. Between Us contains her usual wit (some laugh out loud parts) but overall there were times I was a bit bored. The ending is rather swoonworthy though and I was left smiling.

I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for a new Mhairi McFarlane book since I gobbled up Mad About You last year, and have been lucky enough to have a copy of Between Us on my Kindle for a few months. The problem is, I know that, much like a new series of Selling Sunset, I end up binging it, and I am always bereft when I have finished. So, I saved it for a time when I was super busy, to try and eek it out, and I still ended up reading all 448 pages over a couple of days. There is some sort of witchcraft afoot in Mhairi’s books, I just can’t put them down. Between Us is another blend of romance and wit wrapped up in intelligent writing and she is one of the only writers who can make me snort laugh (apologies to my fellow passengers on the X7 bus for the cackling) and both fall in love with and utterly detest fictional characters.

Long term couple, Roisin and Joe are members of the ‘Brian Club’, a group of pals who have been friends since they met a decade earlier working at a bookshop. United by their dislike of their colleague, Brian, they forged a strong and impenetrable bond, and spent their twenties living it up in Manchester. Now, in their early 30s their debauched evenings out have moved away from massive night outs to lovely restaurants and good wine. Their careers have also taken off, with Roisin an English teacher at a High School, her boyfriend Joe a successful screenwriter and Dev a reality TV show winner who is quite frankly LOADED. It is Dev’s engagement that causes the gang to reunite at a huge stately home in the countryside for a weekend of celebration. Gina, Meredith and Matt make up the rest of the Brian Club, and whilst they all love each other dearly, a decade of friendship is a long time and there are many undercurrents of tension and secrets running beneath the surface.

The weekend away is not only a celebration of the engagement of Dev and Anita, but it is also the weekend where Joe’s new TV show, Hunted airs, and the group are planning on settling down in the cinema room of the palatial house and watching as a group. Roisin has been feeling off kilter in her relationship with Joe for a while, whilst his star is ascending his attitude and personality has changed in ways she is uncomfortable with, so when she realises that he has mined parts of her past for content in his new drama, she is left feeling even further unmoored and questioning her decade long relationship.

As ever, Mhairi has created realistic friendships, and depicts that weird time in your thirties when your friendship group is moving in slightly different directions and the once tightly wound bonds start to fray. The banter between the group is funny, yet portrays the complex history and multi-layered meanings behind seemingly innocuous jokes and comments. Whilst working at a bookshop they were all on an even keel in terms of finances, but the gap in wealth is widening and their individual priorities are very different. Lots of people will recognise the tricky conversations and uncomfortable undercurrents running through the group, and the realisation that the friendships aren’t quite as secure as they originally thought.

Roisin is a fantastic protagonist, effortlessly cool, kind, warm, a good friend and properly funny (hence the cackling on the bus), but she is going through a rocky patch, and is forced to admit that all is not well in her life. She’s carrying a lot of trauma from her childhood, has a mother who is slightly demanding and a boyfriend who I just absolutely loved to hate (honestly he is awful), and I was rooting for her as she navigated difficult waters and an uncertain future. Nobody does characterisation like Mhairi, this group leap off the pages and within a few pages, I felt like I had been part of the Brian Club for years.

Between Us doesn’t have the same vibe as Mhairi’s other books (not a criticism), and the romance takes a little bit of a back seat. This is much more a book about self-discovery and growing up. It also explores toxic masculinity, gaslighting, grief, heartache and love. It’s a tough read at times, with some big and difficult themes brought to the fore, and is a sensitive exploration of a life completely turned on its head, and how to recover from that. I loved it. Now I just have to wait for a new Mhairi McFarlane book to devour.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

I think MM has a really unique writing voice, distinct in all her books that I have read, and I really enjoy that. It was nice to dip my toe back in with this book! I liked it a lot - had quite a few quips and jokes that had me barking with laughter, always enjoy reading British authors and seeing our humour in their writing.

I suspected from the moment he was introduced that <spoiler>Matt</spoiler> would be Roisin’s romantic match-up, he just stuck out to me. I enjoyed parts of their relationship development but feel at odds with other bits. Their friendship as the foundation of what blossoms into a relationship was sweet, I’m glad that we got to see that. But then it snapped VERY quickly from hard platonic to being very certain she’s in love with him, gave me whiplash a little bit - I think a slightly more gradual approach would have been better suited, personally. Gina’s love and devotion <spoiler> for Matt also disappeared in the BLINK of an eye - I found it a little far fetched how quickly she was okay with her best friend getting with the guy she’d been in love with for years. Though I did love that she was the one that said ‘oh yeah, he’s been in love with you for ages’ to be honest haha</spoiler>

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the mysterious side to the plot, I was enrapt! <spoiler>Roisin investigating her toxic ex’s cheating and lies through clues dropped in his TV show. I especially loved the interaction between her and Beatrice - though I felt Bea herself was mentioned as a very last minute addition.</spoiler>

tldr; there were aspects of the story that were oddly paced but overall a funny, engaging read!

I must firstly admit that Mhairi McFarlane is one of my absolute favourite authors and her books are always an automatic purchase for me so I do feel bad that perhaps I went into this novel with my expectations raised unfairly high,
I enjoyed it, I found Roisin an engaging character, I loved the Brian club and the examination of issues such as gaslighting was delicately handled, I just somehow didn't love it as much as Ms McFarlane's other books. Something just didn't hit me in the way her novels normally do. It is still a good read, it's just not my favourite.

As ever, a tightly written and observant romance, with delightful characters and a plausible arc. The best writer of one-liners in the business.

this was incredible, i absolutely devoured it !!
i went into this completely blind and it was the best thing i did. i had no idea what was going to happen next and i’m so happy with the ending <3

the characters were so well written and the plot was so interesting! i can’t wait to read more mhairi mcfarlane

This is marketed as a romcom which it doesn’t really feel like to me. Roisins long term boyfriend Joe writes a tv series about a serial cheater, and when she and her friends sits down to watch it, she notices a number of things that seem too coincidental. She then embarks looking to understand exactly if art is imitating life.

I loved it! It packed more of a punch than a standard romcom and I’d love to read more of Mhairi’s books in the future!

Thank you ✨

Roisin is in a long term relationship with screen writer Joe, she can't see his bad points, but when his latest TV show is aired things start to be questioned.
Roisin and Joe are part of a wider friendship group, but will the tensions between the pair shatter the group?
I always enjoy this authors books, her dialogue is witty and the banter between characters is always excellent.
With this one though I didn't quite gel, the story was clever, can love imitate art, but I don't think it is one that will stay with me.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Read this if you:

✔ Can't let things go until you find out the truth
✔ Like short chapters
✔ Already love this author

My Thoughts:

This book was so hard to get through, hence the late review. In all of my reviews, I try to keep a positive yet honest perspective and to highlight all the great things about that book. It is very rare that I come across a book that doesn't resonate with me at all and that I don't have any positive remarks about.

Unfortunately this is one of those rare cases. I just couldn't connect with these characters, I found them very annoying and I think that my time had been wasted. The whole novel is about the female main character’s attempt to find out whether her boyfriend cheated on her or not and then the person she ends up with in the end, in my opinion, is no better than what she had before. I just found this so annoying and stupid. 

I expected something entirely different from this book and I was so disappointed. This was my first read by this author but now I'm not inclined to try her other books soon.

A satisfying rom com that left my heart happy and smiling. The best written romance book. I laughed and felt so many good feelings while reading.

I love love love Mhairi McFarlane so this book has been on my radar for a while. This hasn’t disappointed and I have devoured this book with no regrets.

I love how this author presents her characters and setting. It is easy to become lost in the pages, whilst feeling a familiarity with the characters. I have no regrets in devouring this gem. It has been a delight from beginning to end.

I have loved the friendship group in this one. Roisin has grown as a characters as we’ve progressed through this one. I have loved all the different scenes of this one, it’s been varied and interesting.

I have been transported by this one and completely unwilling to put this down. Mhairi is an author who is able to captivate her readers from early on and keep them fully invested in the plot she has created.

Joe has been a lovely character and I’ve liked knowing that he has secrets. Matt has stolen my heart, everytime he has been with Roisin I’ve just felt my heart swell. It’s been so lovely to read.

The book shop meet has been a delight, possibly one of my favourite parts of the book. I have adored this addition to the plot.

This is a gorgeous read from beginning to end. I love all of Mhairi’s books and this hasn’t disappointed. I have no doubt I will be recommending this book to everyone.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

For a couple of years now Mhairi MacFarlane has been my go to contemporary romance author. I've read a handful of her books now, and I'm sad to report this is the weakest of the lot. Having learnt that I really don't get along with romance novels where there are lots of friends as supporting characters (or even more specifically where they're on holiday together), I should have known going into this that it might not work for me. The writing, themes and characterisation weren't great either and lacked nuance. Not for me!

I really loved this, I didn’t bond with the main character as much as I have with previous Mhairi books but I still really loved it

This is a story that's as much about the messy end of a relationship as it is about something new blossoming. It's an interesting position to take in this genre.

Roisin spends the weekend at a country house with her friends - and her partner, Joe, who has a brand new TV series debuting the same weekend. But what it shows is more than mere entertainment. It's Joe's views on relationships and cheating and it leads to realisation. It leads to one thing ending...

Roisin leans on her friends for support, including Matt, who Joe has always hated. As to Roisin's feelings, they're about to slowly start changing - or, more accurately, to start shouting rather loudly.

So why is this book an 'interesting position'? Because it deals in the messy. It deals with being obsessed with what your ex gets up to, even when you should be the better person who doesn't care. It focuses on being obsessed with the truth. It looks at fresh romance when the last one is barely gone... In other words, it's not a standard romance/rom-com/chick-lit. There could be times when the reader might judge Roisin.

But I didn't. I empathised a hell of a lot. And I enjoyed the story.

My full review shall be published on my BookTok account (@Kareenas_Library) in the month of June.

As per usual for a book written my Mhairi McFarlane, I loved it! She is a queen of women's fiction books that really make you think. To summarise this book, the plot follows Roisin, who is in a long term relationship with Joe, and they are both part of a long time friendship group. However, everything is falling apart beneath the surface, and we see Roisin slowly come to realise that she has a false perspective of the truth. Unfortunately, it's hard to say much more without giving away big plot lines.

From a technical perspective, Mhairi writes in such a way that you feel like you are on the journey with Roisin, and you become enveloped within the story.

My only criticism is that I felt like one of the plotlines (Matt for those who have read the book) was slightly rushed at the end even though I could see where it was heading midway through the book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the book and I rated it a 4.5/5